Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1887-01-20
THE HOG IN WINTER.
How Swine Should Be Housed and Fed
During the Cold Months.

There Is a class of writer's whose
writings gives the inference that If we
viii keep the hog IN 4 closely heated
room all winter there would be very
little need of feeding the animal. They
seem TO intimate that profitable pork
production depends not so much upon
the price OF feed as it does upon the
price OF base-burners and fuel. At all
events. they are eternally telling us 10
keep the hog in warm quarters, anu in
forming Us that exposure to the cold
means loss of heat and consequently
an additional expenditure for food
Now, nobody will advocate an unneces-
: aI-v exposure OF swine or any other
class Of animals They should always
have clean. comfortable quarters; but
a greater mistake than to attempt 70
keep swine IN a high temperature can
not be committed in connection with
swine husbandrv. The hog IS
naturally an animal of high tenn
perature when undergoing the process
of fattening. So far as suffering IS
concerned. the fat hog can stand very
low degree of temperature if dry; and,
10 add TO its internal heat IS TO pro-
duce injury. But there can be no dam
ger Of doing this in winter. some may
think. Yes. there is. The house may
be so close and unveutilated as 20 pro-
duce too high Il degree of heat: or,
what Is more common, the hogs may
be permitted TO huddle together and
heat themselves almost 70 the cooking
L. II. -, 10 81
of trouble among swine, and we are
frequently compelled 10 tell swine breed
ers who complain Of sickness among
their hogs 10 rout them out and keep
them from budding together. Il we
could always have our own way in the
matter we would never have higher
temperature than fortv-siX degrees IN
which to fatten hogs. Certainly IN
winter time the temperature can ne
kept as low as that. unless their quar-
tiers are abominable in construction
The matter Of cleanliness should be
carefully looked after. The hog Is not
near so dirty an animal rs some people
would have Us believe. and if il was, 50
much more the need of our striving to
make him clearly. Swine will eat al
most any thing, It is true; bur 50 will q
fowl. The hog. however. will show MS
preference for clean food and Il clean
place TO feed if it IS given an oppor-
tunitv The winter quarters of some
hogs ara an abOminable disgr3canI Ihev
sleep in filth. they eat in filth. and if
they do not happen 70 die before they
are got into market the pork produced
under such circumstances can not be IF
the best quality The animal enjoys
a clean floor 10 feed uDon and 4 clean
bed 70 sleep in. and endowment always
improves thrift. Whenever an animal
enjoys is surroundings II will always
do the best il can do.
The food Of the fattcning hog viii
consist mostly IF corn. the great fat
producing food OF the country: and if
the animal has been fed mp to the time
Of beginning the fattening process for
development of hone and muscle. it
will usually stand even 4 steady and ez-
elusive diet until it IS ready for market
without much danger. But if it has
not been thus developed it may break
down at any time. We must not forget
that fat1ening is violence % natural
laws. It Is the creation of something
that beyond certain limit IS not only
If no use 20 the anima. system. but a
de-riment 70 It. Suppose il were pos
sible to fatten Il human being IS we
fs,Ucen swine and We should do II.
what would be the result? We should
endunger the life. We should load al
the organs with something that would
not benefit them. but would interfere
with the full performance Qf their
functions. The same i tryIe-thOUgl
perhaps 10 Z less extenr-with an AMI
nal that we make 50 excessively fat IS
we 10 the hog. And now If the hog IS
weak TO begin with. # its bones and its
muscles are not developed as nature
intended them 10 be. we simply add TO
the imperfect condition Of the system
when we push its development on its
least important side. But while the
hog that has been developed as we have
indicated may get through on al ex-
elusive corn diet. it is not well 10 risk
! it. 1t should be i rule of feeding that
no animal should be confined to corn
at any time or under any circum-
stances. # the hog gets nothing but
corn it viii sooner or later be troubled
with cesfiveness. with all the evils that
such state insures. If fed every day
a little of the bone and muscle forming
foods. such as middlings. oil meal. etc,
its digestive machinery will be kept IN
order. and beside the animal viii be-
kept growing.
Il hegs are kept. as we keep them.
until the second year. the winter food
needs 10 be largely of the bone and
| misunderstanding varieties. They can be
kept growing upon no other kind Of
food. Corn viii furnish little for bone
/ and muscle building. In recent letter
from Kansas. noticing the prevalence of
hog disease. the trouble was attributed
! bv the writer 10 too much corn. He
said corn was so plenty that the hogs
We're fed upon it from pighood TO ma
tgIrirY- and that even the sows with pigs
were permitted to run with the f;Ftten-
ing hogs. Now, it is utterly idle to ex-
peet swine TO do well under such treat
menf- There can be no aim m such
feeding. unless the object is TO Kill the
hog. and. of course, that purpose i not
entertained Until grass comes the
growing hogs should be fed carefully
upon only that which will make them
grow They do not need fat; they need
E--lT !